After booming for much of the last 30 years, the San Gabriel Valley's population growth has slowed to a trickle. Last year almost all of the San Gabriel Valley's 29 cities grew by 1% or less, according to state Department of Finance figures released last month. Even in the east valley, where Diamond Bar and Walnut mushroomed 91% and 133% respectively during the 1980s, growth has not exceeded 2% annually the past few years.

After booming for much of the last 30 years, the San Gabriel Valley's population growth has slowed to a trickle. Last year almost all of the San Gabriel Valley's 29 cities grew by 1% or less, according to state Department of Finance figures released last month. Even in the east valley, where Diamond Bar and Walnut mushroomed 91% and 133% respectively during the 1980s, growth has not exceeded 2% annually the past few years.

The Los Angeles County documented in the 1990 Census is a metropolis in motion, a place where dramatic population shifts are breaking down old strongholds of racial and ethnic separatism but perhaps laying the foundation for new ones. The traditional boundaries have blurred in a variety of ways. An expanding Latino population has begun to overtake black majorities in Watts and other areas of South-Central Los Angeles, while challenging Anglo dominance of several San Fernando Valley communities.

The Los Angeles County documented in the 1990 Census is a metropolis in motion, a place where dramatic population shifts are breaking down old strongholds of racial and ethnic separatism but perhaps laying the foundation for new ones. The traditional boundaries have blurred in a variety of ways. An expanding Latino population has begun to overtake black majorities in Watts and other areas of South-Central Los Angeles, while challenging Anglo dominance of several San Fernando Valley communities.

The annual winter bird count has found that the San Gabriel Valley's bird population continues to decline. On Dec. 17 about 40 Pasadena Audubon Society members, including expert and novice bird-watchers, spread out over a 15-mile radius centered in Pasadena and spotted 139 species. Most observed common species, such as yellow-rumped warblers, scrub jays and white-crowned sparrows, said Audubon member Judy Bass.

The owner and operator of an earthquake-damaged Chinese movie house have lost a bid to collect $1 million from the city. The City Council on Tuesday rejected a $1,056,000 claim from businessman Fred Hsieh, owner of Monterey Theater, and theater operator Shu Wei Luan. The two are demanding compensation for legal fees, rent and ticket revenue lost during the three years the city tried to demolish the theater.

With a handful of exceptions, unemployment is lower in San Gabriel Valley cities than the county as a whole. In 23 of the valley's 31 cities, unemployment rates were below the countywide average of 9.6% in June--the most recent month for which statistics were available from the state Employment Development Department. The average unemployment rate among Valley cities in June was about 7.6%, with a low of 3.2% in Sierra Madre and a high of 14.7% in South El Monte.

Ralph Stanley, administrator of the federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration, sounded as if Los Angeles County Supervisor Pete Schabarum's dream of a separate bus system for the San Gabriel Valley were a reality. "We are using this area as an example nationwide," Stanley said during a daylong meeting called by Schabarum last week to discuss the proposal. "It will be one of the great models in the years to come." But the years may be a long time coming.

The population of the Westside, birthplace of Los Angeles' slow-growth movement, has increased by about 79,000 since 1980, a pace considerably slower than the rest of the county, according to a new study. Though boosted by a flurry of apartment construction, especially in Westwood and Hollywood, the Westside's population increased just 8.2%, to 1.05 million, in the eight years ending in January, 1988, county analysts say. By comparison, the countywide population increased by 930,091, or 12.

The setting smacked of bureaucracy and the Establishment: To the right of the Monterey Park City Hall lobby sat the Police Department complaint desk. Scattered about the ground-floor lobby were offices of planners, building inspectors and other government enforcers.

Asian politicians, community leaders and urban planners are vigorously pursuing the creation of one or more state Assembly districts in the San Gabriel Valley where Asian-American voters are numerous enough to sway an election. One goal, they say, is the election of the first Asian to the Legislature in 10 years. The effort is focused on the upcoming reapportionment of congressional and legislative districts, triggered by the 1990 Census.

To some fanfare, the El Monte Police Department launched a new community policing initiative in 2002 as a way to reduce crime, improve the city's image and build relationships with residents. "If you looked around El Monte even just 16 months ago, you would see such a major difference in appearance," said Assistant Police Chief Tom Armstrong. "We feel it's been very successful."